Counting Fruit and Veggies

2

Replies

  • glovepuppet
    glovepuppet Posts: 1,713 Member
    My diet is mostly fruit and veg, with a side of protein. If I didn't log the fruit and veg, it would frequently look like I'm eating 300 calories a day!
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,572 Member
    If you eat 5000 cals of veg a day, you're still going to get fat.

    Not if your tdee is 6000!

    *ducking*

    But, god, think of the bathroom breaks.
  • CAmy223
    CAmy223 Posts: 1 Member
    Thank you to those who responded. I had the same question as I transition from WW and this makes perfect sense.
  • wilson10102018
    wilson10102018 Posts: 1,306 Member
    One of the reasons WW dosen't work so well. The so-called free foods can really add up. I think I can eat my whole daily goal in just salmon and eggs which are both among the 200 zero point foods. So unscientific.
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,097 Member
    I tried WW for a couple of months. For me it had the opposite effect. I found that I wasn't eating enough. I would double track some days on WW and MFP and found that I had only eaten about 900 calories even though I felt as if I was eating enough.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    This isn't Weight Watchers, though. 60 calories of an orange is the same as 60 calories of goldfish, as far as energy (and a calorie deficit) goes. I don't understand why fruits and vegetables wouldn't count as food intake. Not only do I eat a few hundred calories of fruits and vegetables each day (enough to blow my deficit if I wasn't tracking them) but I also like to keep track of macros like fiber, etc. :)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,879 Member
    nnicole117 wrote: »
    Hi Everyone,

    I'm curious, do you track your fruits and veggies if you eat them plain or with zero cal spices/sauces? I subscribed to weight watchers before and fruits and veggies were a free kind of food but here you can actually search an orange and track the 60 some odd calories. So, I personally have decided to not track fruits and veggies themselves since it's a healthy choice compared to - for example - 60 calories of goldfish! Anyways, post your thoughts, I'm interested to hear what you all have to say!

    As another note, I'm here to lose about 50lbs or more so maybe when I have much less to go, I'll be more strict? Idk! We'll see!

    Thanks!

    60 calories is 60 calories. This isn't WW...points aren't calories. WW makes fruit and veg "free" to encourage people to eat more of them, which is a good thing...but they inflate the points of other things and give you a lower point total to compensate for that.

    I wasn't super anal about having everything down to the gram with fruit and veg, but I logged them loosely. I can easily eat 200-300 calories or more in fruit and veg in a day. It doesn't matter if they're a healthy choice or not...your body is still going to count those calories.
  • I count all of them even when I was doing weight watchers
  • ilovekiwis
    ilovekiwis Posts: 17 Member
    I definitely count them because MFP works on a calorie counting system, and I like to eat as much as I can (reasonably) throughout the day while staying under my calorie limit. If there are any leftover calories at the end of the day, that's an extra fruit or vegetable snack! Yum yum.

    For many, it's worth considering a mindset shift around produce. Instead of adding it to your meals, add other food groups to your choice produce. Try new flavors and sauces/spices with them. You're likely to find there are many opportunities to get the 5-a-day servings reccomended in a well-rounded way. My nutritionist described a serving as "about the size of your fist."

  • Emmapatterson1729
    Emmapatterson1729 Posts: 1,296 Member
    I track my fruits and veggies. In the calorie world, they can add up quicker than one might believe and to a significant calorie amount. Certain chicken and egg preparations are zero points on WW now too .. But they definitely have calories.



  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,926 Member
    If you eat 5000 cals of veg a day, you're still going to get fat.

    Well, yes, that is true.

    However people can use their common sense about what level of accuracy is neccesary for them.

    Me personally - I don't bother logging a leaf of lettuce or a cherry tomato or one grape,or a slice of onion.

    Pretty obvious I am omitting 20 ish calories per day, if that.

    Not 5000.
  • Emmapatterson1729
    Emmapatterson1729 Posts: 1,296 Member
    Its the process that matters, not the calorie value of the omitted items that matters to me. I log a cough drop or a cherry tomato, not because it affects the total but because the process keeps sensible food choices on my mind all the time.

    I have a similar mindset. I also track veggies and fruits, because I like to see my nutrients go up. Sounds crazy probably... But it's like a food for fuel mentality.

    I broke my compulsive over-eating with this kind of mentality.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,926 Member
    Its not crazy Emma - if that works for you, that's fine.
    Same with Wilson who likes to log everything because the process matters.

    I am a lazy logger, have said that many times - because it is the results that matter to me, not the process.

    But everyone has to find the approach that works fro them. :)
  • mk123456001
    mk123456001 Posts: 10 Member
    depends how hardcore you are. i've had success the past 3 months estimating almost everything. i'm not so precise that i will bother looking up (or weighing) a slice of onion or any other veggies that i put in (for example) a homemade burger. i know the bulk of the calories are in the bread, meat, cheese and a heavier sauce like mayo so i only calculate those. if i know i'm eating that same meal once a week and i feel it's taking up too many of my allocated calories i'll cut out the cheese and sauce....not the veggies.

    i will calculate the veggies/fruit if they're the bulk ingredient in my meal/snack....like a spinach salad or a banana.
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    mkez00 wrote: »
    depends how hardcore you are.

    And depends on whether you’re losing. If you’re not, every calorie counts.
  • ceiswyn
    ceiswyn Posts: 2,253 Member
    Yesterday I ate 697 kcal of fruit and veg. If I didn't count that, I'd be gaining weight.
  • wilson10102018
    wilson10102018 Posts: 1,306 Member
    Yesterday I had strawberries, half banana, raw sweet corn, a few grapes, 1 cup watermelon, tomato, cup of blackberries, and a large peach. Total around 300 cal. Like a whole additional meal if not logged.